GABA Overview

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that humans create naturally. GABA acts as a “mental relaxant” and lowers the activity of neurons in the brain and central nervous system (CNS).

GABA is kind of like “brakes for the brain.”

When a person has optimal levels of GABA, they get the following effects:

Relaxation

Calmness

Sound Sleep

Alleviation of Pain

Balanced Mood

Low levels of GABA are often associated with anxiety, insomnia, depression, chronic stress, and muscle pain to name just a handful of symptoms.

GABA Supplements

Due to things like poor nutrition, stress, substance abuse, genetic predispositions, and toxins in the environment, a person can have low GABA levels.

Many people have used GABA supplements to try and offset this GABA deficiency.

There is some debate in the scientific community as to whether or not GABA supplements are effective.

The opponents of GABA supplementation believe that GABA products don’t pass the blood-brain-barrier.

For GABA supplements to be effective they need to go from the bloodstream to the CNS, and many people are of the opinion that supplemental GABA simply doesn’t make it past the blood-brain-barrier.

Additionally, there isn’t a lot of compelling research on GABA supplements.

In my own experience, when I took 100 mg to 500 mg of GABA I didn’t feel much… if anything at all.

However, when I took 1,000 mg to 2,000 mg, I definitely got a relief of anxiety and insomnia while going through Suboxone withdrawal.

My guess is that for some people, GABA supplements work well, for others they work a little, and for others still, they get no benefits.

We are all biochemically unique.

And I think the recommended dosages on GABA supplements can often be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled without side effects.

GABA Research

While GABA research is limited, there are some studies that we can learn from. In a small study from 2006 with 13 participants, GABA was shown to be helpful at relieving stress and anxiety.

In a study from 2012 with 63 adult participants, 100 mg of GABA supplementation “showed that EEG activities including alpha band and beta band brain waves decreased depending on the mental stress task loads.”

The study concluded that “GABA might have alleviated the stress induced by the mental tasks.”

In a small study from 2018 with only 40 participants, the ones who took 300 mg of GABA 60 minutes before going to bed fell asleep faster than those taking a placebo.

They also reported improved sleep quality four weeks after starting treatment.

In a study from 2009 involving 80 participants, GABA-rich Chlorella was shown to reduce high blood pressure.

The study concluded that “these results suggest that GABA-rich Chlorella significantly decreased high-normal blood pressure and borderline hypertension, and is a beneficial dietary supplement for prevention of the development of hypertension.”

During opiate withdrawal your blood pressure skyrockets, leading to acute anxiety and insomnia, among other symptoms.

So anything that can help to stabilize your blood pressure could potentially be very helpful.

For instance, clonidine is a blood pressure medication that is often prescribed to treat opiate withdrawal symptoms, and it works extremely well if you take the right dosage for your unique situation.

GABA is the Brain’s Natural Valium

You’ve probably heard of benzodiazepine medications such as Valium and Xanax. These anti-anxiety drugs are beneficial for acute opiate withdrawal because they bind to your GABA-A receptors.

This mechanism of action results in the user experiencing a HUGE spike in GABA levels in the brain.

And since GABA slows the brain down and calms you, this helps to quiet down the overactive CNS which is in fight-or-flight mode during opiate withdrawal.

Since Valium and other benzos bind to GABA receptors and increase GABA (a neurotransmitter we already create naturally), I often refer to GABA as the “brain’s natural Valium.”

And benzodiazepines aren’t the only class of drugs that affect GABA in the brain.

These are much more powerful than taking a GABA supplement. And they all posess the ability to work extremely well for opiate withdrawal.

However, they also have the ability to cause addiction and dependence.

And if you become dependent on these and stop using them abruptly (cold-turkey), you’ll go through acute withdrawal symptoms that can often be as bad as — or even worse than — acute opiate withdrawal.

That being said, if you use them strategically for 4-7 days during the worst part of your withdrawal then stop, you won’t become dependent and you won’t suffer from withdrawal symptoms coming off of them.

How To Use GABA For Opiate Withdrawal

Now that you’ve learned about the basics on GABA, you may want to use a GABA supplement for opiate withdrawal. It sure helped me out…and it very well might help you too.

If you use GABA for opiate withdrawal, make sure you follow these guidelines:

Always consult with your healthcare provider before using any new supplements.

Matt Finch

Matt helps men and women that are dependent on opiates learn how to get off these drugs without getting sick. He is a former opiate addict and a former Substance Abuse Counselor at an Opiate Treatment Program (OTP). Matt has since become an Opiate Recovery Coach, Author, and Speaker.

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